What does it take to attract top cybersecurity talent?

What does it take to attract top cybersecurity talent?

From professional backgrounds to competitive salaries – a study delves into what it takes to build strong cybersecurity teams



Cybersecurity professionals are in high demand, but in low supply, the 2019 (ISC)2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study finds. In fact, the supply is so low that it needs to grow by an estimated 145 percent to fill the estimated 4.07 million gap. The United States alone needs growth of 62% to meet the needs of its businesses.


Most participants of the study work in the IT services industry, followed by financial services and government. These professionals come from diverse backgrounds since cybersecurity is a young specialization, but most are likely to have a bachelor’s degree. A majority have degrees in computer science but one in five has an engineering background while a small number has a business degree. There are many paths to get into cybersecurity and not all of them require a university specialization, some are self-taught.


As cybersecurity professionals tend to be male, this leaves a rather large talent pool that organizations could use to bolster their ranks. This can be underlined by the fact that one-third of the respondents of the survey were women.


Most cybersecurity professionals tend to be experienced and remain a steady part of their organizations. On average they spend six years with their employer and hold four security organization certifications. The salaries tend to be competitive with a global average of US$69,000 with certification playing a role in how high your salary is. The highest salary offered is in the United States – US$93,000 if you ..

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